2012 Australian Surf Open

I’d never seen surfing live in my life before, and barely on TV. But my friend and I woke up at 8 a.m. and were the first people past the turnstiles at 9 a.m. in circular key, ready to board to ferry to Manly and watch some surfing action.

It was the first time I’d ever been to Manly as well, so it was nice walking through the town. We were early so the streets were pretty quiet and the beach wasn’t crowded either. We trudged our way over to the front, settling down just out the tide’s reach.

The Sporting Life of Melbourne

The greatest thing about Melbourne is the city’s relationship with sports. It takes roughly 5-10 minutes to reach Melbourne’s major sporting arena from the edge of the city by walking. It’s where the sacred Melbourne Cricket Ground, it’s the site of the Australian Open and where you can find AAMI Park. Etihad Stadium isn’t too far away from that cluster of stadiums either. Melbourne’s Albert Park, the site of the Australian Grand Prix, is just a tram ride away from the city.

Victoria’s Parliament House

Ever since I visited the Scott Parliament building in 2009, I’ve been obsessed with parliament buildings. Not many replicate the modern nature of the much newer Scottish one, but I still enjoy exploring them. That’s why I went on a tour of the Victorian Parliament House in Melbourne, which first opened in 1856.

Camping in the Outback

For the tail end of spring break we headed over to Alice Springs and then the Outback, to climb rocks and camp under the stars. We camped outside for two nights, using daylight on three days to see formations Kata Tjuta, Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Kings Canyon. And we spent a lot of time in that small white van…

Hiking up Cliffs from Coogee to Bondi (Photos)

After a very long halt at Coogee because of a suspicious backpack and pair of sunnies we found, my friend and I hiked up the stairs and stayed close to the water, hiking from Coogee to Bondi. As expected, the walk was striking, highlighting the ocean.

Converting This Into A Travel Blog

I’ve traveled a lot this past year, and I love it. This blog has long been gathering dust (sorry for the cliche) and I’m opening it back up as a regular travel blog.

Often, I don’t get to write when I travel. These things tend to get backlogged, because life gets in the way. But with a summer ahead, and once my brother’s wedding is over, there won’t be much left for me to do.

So, sit back and enjoy while I try to capture experiences from traveling around the country and the world!

Alice Springs Has an Airport?

Alice Springs. Some may call it a town, but it’s really just a group of buildings that none of us were too found of. We had to go to Alice Springs to access the Outback. We flew in from Cairns and stayed there for two nights, shopping for some Aboriginal artwork in the meantime. 

Learning to Surf in Australia

In March my friend and I went to Surf Camp Australia, sponsored by Rip Curl. The camp is located on Seven Mile Beach, just two hours away from Sydney. The purpose of the weekend camp was to teach us how to surf…something I’m apparently not capable of doing. I tried, anyway, and it was terrifying but really fun.

We arrived on Friday night, so our instructors went through different procedures before a bunch of us headed off to see what Seven Mile Beach looks like in the night. It takes a little less than 10 minutes to make the trek from our camp down there, but it seemed like a lot longer in the night.

Tiny Fairy Penguins on Phillips Island

During our short trip to Melbourne a few of us decided to go over to Phillips Island for the famed Fairy Penguin march. These penguins are very, very tiny, smaller than the screen on my laptop. Everyone told us it was the event for animal lovers, so I decided I’d check it out.

Take Me Back…

Thursday morning a few of my classmates were already outside our apartment building by 6:50 a.m., complaining about leaving, saying how much they didn’t want to go. I was too tired to join the repeated rants, only wishing to get on the plane to LAX and sleep. I just wanted to go home, where I could have my own bed, coffee, food and watch the Devils.

But as soon as my flight to Newark departed from the haze surrounding  LAX I started to miss Sydney. The stress and exhaustion had worn away, letting me realize how studying abroad was the best experience of my life and how much I’m going to miss it.

No more photos…

Well apparently I’ve taken too many pictures on this trip because I can’t post anymore photos. I’ll try to go back and delete some so hopefully I can at least get some nice ones up here.